Details

Use Insect Dust to eliminate crawling insects around your home. Our diatomaceous earth comes in the form of a chalky powder, and is the natural fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. Diatom particles are very small and sharp – but only harmful to the small exoskeletons of insects. Insects cannot become immune to its action, as it is a mechanical killer – not a chemical one. Because it is a light dust, diatomaceous earth easily clings to the bodies of insects as they crawl over it. The tiny diatom particles then cut into the waxy coating of insects and they dry out and die of dehydration within 48 hours.

Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth is an all-natural product that is so safe it can be sprinkled around your vegetable patch, or rubbed right into your dog's fur. Non-food-grade diatomaceous earth is dangerous and should be avoided.

What Insects Does It Control?

Fleas

Ants

Ticks

Silverfish

Cockroaches

Bed bugs

Carpet beetles

Spiders

Earwigs

Spider mites

House flies

Slugs and snails

For Indoor Use:

Lightly coat a thin layer in areas where insects are found or may hide, such as kitchen cupboards, behind and under appliances, baseboards or drain pipes. For carpets, lightly sprinkle the Insect Dust over the carpet, and leave for 2-3 days before vacuuming.

You can leave the dust in place until you no longer see any signs of insects in that area, at which point you can clean it up.

Fleas

Thoroughly dust floor, carpets and bedding in and around pet's sleeping areas, as well as surrounding baseboards, cracks and crevices. Safe to use around your pets - it can be rubbed right into your dog's fur.

Bedbugs

Take apart bed and dust joints and channels. Dust any hollow tubing and the interior framework as well as the mattress and all cracks in the room. Use a turkey baster or duster to apply clouds of the dust over the affected area. Leave the dust for a few days. It is still safe to sleep in your bed even while the dust is present.

Silverfish

Lightly dust in and around kitchen and bathroom plumbing, along baseboards and wherever else silverfish are found.

Carpet Beetles

For Outdoor Use:

Lightly coat a thin layer of diatomaceous earth on areas where insects are found, such as patios, door frames, foundations, sewer pipes and drains. Apply as a barrier around plants, trees and garden beds. For best results, reapply the Insect Dust after heavy rainfall.

Flies

Thoroughly dust areas where flies frequent, such as livestock pens and kennels. It can be applied to livestock coat as an insect repellent/contact insecticide. DE can also be added to the food of pets and livestock. The DE helps as a de-worming agent for livestock, and it ends up in their dung. Flies lay eggs on the dung which hatch into maggots, which are then killed by the DE. This is an effective method for fly control, especially on farms and homesteads, and in outdoor areas where animals are present.

Fire Ants

Sprinkle diatomaceous earth directly on the ant mound, or mix with water to saturate the mound. It can also be sprinkled along ant trails. The ants will track the DE back to their nests where the colony will be exposed to its abrasive action.

Slugs and other garden pests

Apply as a barrier around plants and garden beds. Reapply after rain. Any diatomaceous earth that washes into soil will continue to benefit your garden, since it acts like vermiculite in retaining water for future slow release. Our diatomaceous earth is OMRI listed for organic use.

Diatomaceous earth will not harm worms or any of the beneficial microorganisms in the soil.

Lice control for chickens

Lice are a common scourge around chickens and can lower their vitality resulting in fewer eggs and disease. Set a "dusting box" of DE in the corner of the coop and chickens will continually apply themselves with DE. This will reduce or eliminate lice within a few days.

Safety

Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth is uncalcined amorphous silica, which comes from natural freshwater deposits in the USA. The freshwater naturally occurring diatomaceous earth deposits that are designated Food Grade by the FDA have less than 1% crystalline silica. These deposits are primarily amorphous silica which is harmless when ingested and is commonly used in feed and food industries. Insect Dust is certified organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute.

Insect Dust is registered as an insecticide with the EPA, so it is required to have a generic health warning on the bag, despite its safety.

Environmental Health Coalition refers to Diatomaceous Earth as one of the least toxic insect controls on their "Home Safe Home" fact sheet about safe household cleaners and indoor pest control.

Professor Stuart Hill at McGill University describes Diatomaceous Earth as non-toxic and feeling like talc when you touch it. He says that if you are going to apply large quantities, you should wear a face mask to avoid inhaling it. However, he mentions that inhaling common road dust is probably more harmful than inhaling Diatomaceous Earth.

Please note that food-grade diatomaceous earth should not be confused with "pool grade" diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth used in pool or water filtration contains DE that has been chemically treated and heated making the silica crystalline which is a dangerous respiratory hazard and harmful to the health of humans and animals.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

We want you to be completely satisfied with every purchase you make. If you are in any way dissatisfied with a product you ordered, we'll exchange it, replace it or refund your money within 30 days of purchase. Simply email us the problem, and we'll take care of you.
Certain products have extended warranties (up to 50 years!) that are listed on the particular product page.
Please call us at 1-888-451-6752 if you need further clarification.

Additional Information

Weight

4.4 pounds

Coverage

1800 square feet

Key Feature

Safe, non-toxic diatomaceous earth for crawling insect control

Origin

Made in the U.S.A.

Shipping Information

Shipping Details:

Insured against damage or loss while in transit

This Product Ships To:

US Lower 48

Ships Via:

Fedex, UPS, or USPS

Questions about the Insect Dust Diatomaceous Earth - 4.4 lb

Does Insect Dust contain any trace of crystalline silicon dioxide? I've read that some diatomaceous earth insect repellent products contain a small amount and that it can be harmful to pets if inhaled.

Food grade DE is safe for pets. "Pool grade", DE however, is calcined, meaning that is treated with very high heat. This turns the silicon dioxide that is present in the DE into crystalline silica. Pool grade diatomaceous earth has more than 1 percent crystalline silica. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, on the other hand, has less than 1% crystalline silica and is not calcined.

If I sprinkle this on my carpets after vacuuming is it safe for me to walk around barefoot in my place until the next time I vacuum it up, or should I wear something to protect my feet until I no longer need to use this product?

You can walk barefoot on the carpet after dusting with DE, you will not even feel it. DE looks and feels like talcum powder.

Since DE is also microscopic, does it work on chiggers? We cleared out an area of our "north 40" and now have a tire swing on a large tree for our toddler. When our there recently, we all got eaten up by chiggers, so we want a natural remedy that will knock them out, but still be safe enough for our daughter, dogs, and surrounding plants.

Yes, DE is an effective treatment which will kill chiggers. Broadcast it in areas where you see chigger activity; for effectiveness they need to come into direct contact with the DE. After rain it will diminish in effectiveness, but this will be restored as it dries. Try to locate the DE where strong winds will not displace it. It is better to place DE in a thicker amount in selected areas than with a thin application broadcast widely.

I live in an apartment near a lake on the first floor and I have earwigs all over my porch. I have an 8 month old baby and was wondering if this is a safe product to use right outside my front door.

Yes. DE is a good solution for your situation. It is safe if the baby comes into contact with it, it will not harm or pollute the lake water, and it is effective against earwigs.
DE is not a spot killer. It will take a few days before you notice the earwig population reduce. Be persistent and reapply DE if you think it needs it (e.g. if it rained and washed off some of the DE). Over time, you can reduce the earwig population to near zero.

I have C.O.P.D. Will using DE add to breathing problem? Want to use to get rid of roaches.

DE is a fine powder which could, if used incorrectly, could contribute to airborne irritants for people with breathing difficulties. DE should be placed in discreet areas of your home where bugs will contact it, but the vacuum or general house traffic will not disturb it.

Beatles are devouring my garden. Is it safe to dust directly on vegetable plants?

Yes, DE can be applied directly to your vegetable plants. It is better to have a small pile or line that bugs will cross, than a thin sprinkling over the plant leaves. The thin dusting doesn't hold up as long in weather. If the beetles are flying on to the leaves then you have to dust them, but if they are coming from the ground then apply small lines around the base of the plant.